Successfully leading a nonprofit in today’s world takes endless dedication and time. Nonprofit leaders are often so committed to their missions that spending time away to re-energize can be an afterthought. In 2019, the Foundation developed a new nonprofit sabbatical program to recognize and reward long-term and respected nonprofit leaders in Colorado and strengthen the organizations they lead by offering funds for interim leadership and staff capacity building.

This program is designed to offer nonprofit executives the opportunity to step away from professional responsibilities and take time for themselves for rejuvenation. Ideally, the executive returns to their professional life with new ideas and a fresh sense of commitment to their work, the nonprofit sector as well as the health and health equity of all Coloradans.

The Foundation will award two sabbaticals annually. Each sabbatical must be taken within 18 months of receipt of the award. The Foundation has engaged a technical assistance (TA) provider, Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF), to provide support to both interested applicants and awarded recipients.  We recommend that the nonprofit organization and its executive seek professional tax advice separately prior to applying for this grant.

The sabbatical award is made in the form of a grant – up to $95,000 – for charitable support to a Colorado-based nonprofit organization and includes:

• Grantee executive to take three-to-four month hiatus for activities of their choice to reflect, rest and rejuvenate:
• Up to $20,000 for sabbatical activities (e.g., professional development; travel; personal activities)
• Between $25,000-$50,000 subsidy for salary and benefits (dependent on current salary)
• Grantee interim leadership needs (individual or a team):
• Up to $10,000 dependent on the applicant’s interim plan and mutual agreement
• Grantee staff capacity building needs
• Up to $15,000 to be used during the sabbatical period or up to two years after receipt of the award
• Organizations will need to demonstrate how staff have been involved in determining use of these funds to ensure that they are used for employee-directed needs

NOTE: We encourage you to call the Program Officer for your region before you apply. Through this call, you can determine whether your project is a good fit for the Foundation, determine an appropriate request amount, and get all of your questions answered.

Beginning 2023, the following changes regarding Buell Foundation funding have been implemented:

• Applications for child care centers that serve fewer than 15% enrollment of low-income families will no longer be considered. THBF definitions for low-income by county can be found here.
• Applications for organizations that have operating reserves greater than nine months will no longer be considered.
  • Operating reserves are generally calculated by dividing net current assets into annual operating budget.
• Given budgetary restrictions following recent changes, we anticipate a more competitive selection process for capital applications.
• The Foundation will no longer be considering requests for capital projects in our January and May application cycles.
• All applications for capital projects must be submitted in our September cycle.
• At this time, the Foundation is only considering capital projects for licensed child care facilities, with priority given to those focused on expanding or creating new capacity.

What We Fund

At the Buell Foundation, we believe that investing in quality programs will lead to long-term changes in Colorado. The Buell Foundation seeks proven, promising, or developing programs that can demonstrate success in helping children thrive. We support efforts to improve quality and encourage meaningful evaluation and assessment. It is our goal to partner with outstanding organizations to improve the systems that serve children. Particular focus is placed on programs that target underserved communities.

Areas of Interest

Our funding strategy includes two primary areas of interest:

• Early Childhood Education and Development
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Funding Priority

Our funding priority at this time is on programs that support the education and development of children zero to five. In the last fiscal year, over 90% of grants paid were in that category. In addition, please note that it is also a priority for the Foundation to fund programs in rural Colorado. In recent years, over 65% of grants were awarded to programs serving communities outside of the Denver metro area.

Types of Program

Within our areas of interest, the majority of our grants will be of the following types:

• Program/project support
• Operating support
• Technical assistance
• Capital improvements (limited to early childhood programs)

Early Childhood Development

The Foundation will consider proposals in the following areas that directly support the healthy development of very young children between the ages of zero and five:

Assessment and evaluation – We support a variety of assessments used to gauge the effectiveness of programs and progress of program participants. This may include process/fidelity measures as well as outcome measures (e.g. Teaching Strategies GOLD, Adult-Adolescent Parenting Index, Social Competence Scale, etc.).

Behavior and social competence – We support direct programming as well as consultation in early learning settings with a focus on the promotion and prevention levels of behavioral health.

Capital – We support a range of capital improvements at licensed child care centers. We support smaller scale improvements (e.g. playgrounds, materials, fixtures) as well as large building projects (e.g. purchase and renovation of a building).

Early childhood and preschool programs – We support licensed child care centers and preschools that have a commitment to quality improvement and serving children from diverse populations. We also support the early learning components of community-based programs, such as family literacy.

Home visitation – We support evidence-based and evidence-informed home visiting programs with a focus on supporting positive parenting skills and increased knowledge about child development.

Improvements directly related to quality – We support ongoing quality improvement of all programs. This includes funding for materials, additional staff, coaching, and quality ratings.

Language development and early literacy – We support a wide range of early literacy programs ranging from book distribution to comprehensive early literacy programs.

Nutrition and physical activity in early learning environments – We support enhancements to programs (child care centers, parenting education, etc.) that promote increased physical activity and improved nutrition of participants.

Parenting education – We support evidence-based and evidence-informed parenting education programs with a focus on supporting positive parenting skills and increased knowledge about child development.

Professional development and education – We support projects that facilitate early childhood professionals’ access to college-level coursework, mentoring, or community-based trainings.

Teen Pregnancy Prevention

The Buell Foundation funds proven, comprehensive, medically accurate teen pregnancy prevention programs. The Foundation will not fund abstinence-only programs.

Comprehensive teen pregnancy prevention programs must:

• Be facilitated by trained and experienced professionals, ideally by someone who has been prepared to facilitate sexual health education programs and/or a curriculum
• Emphasize the importance of delaying sex
• Instruct about the benefits and risks of condoms and contraception when engaging in sex
• Impart information about sexual activity and the use of condoms and contraception that is deemed medically accurate by sources on which medical professionals rely
• Provide education about consent and refusal skills
• Occur in a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental learning environment for all youth
• Be inclusive of the cultures, values, sexual orientation, and gender identity of youth participating in the program
• Assess the effectiveness of the programs on the skills, knowledge, and attitudes or behavior change of the participants

Other considerations:

• If adapting an evidence-based program, organizations must ensure that the intent of the program is not compromised and that the same skills, knowledge, and attitudes or behaviors are evaluated.
• When an option, programs should link students to clinical and medical providers and services.

Given budgetary restrictions following recent changes, we anticipate a more competitive selection process for capital applications.

Battlefield Preservation Fund

Grants from the Battlefield Preservation Fund will serve as a catalyst to stimulate efforts to preserve battlefields, viewsheds, and related historic structures and to leverage fund-raising activities.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning

Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach

Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

Guidelines

Grants from National Trust Preservation Funds (NTPF) are intended to encourage preservation at the local level by supporting on-going preservation work and by providing seed money for preservation projects. These grants help stimulate public discussion, enable local groups to gain the technical expertise needed for preservation projects, introduce the public to preservation concepts and techniques, and encourage financial participation by the private sector.

A small grant at the right time can go a long way and is often the catalyst that inspires a community to take action on a preservation project. Grants generally start at $2,500 and range up to $5,000. The selection process is very competitive.

Eligible Activities

National Trust Preservation Fund grants are awarded for planning activities and education efforts focused on preservation. Grant funds can be used to launch new initiatives or to provide additional support to on-going efforts.

Planning: Supporting existing staff (nonprofit applicants only) or obtaining professional expertise in areas such as architecture, archaeology, engineering, preservation planning, land-use planning, and law. Eligible planning activities include, but are not limited to:

• Hiring a preservation architect or landscape architect, or funding existing staff with expertise in these areas, to produce a historic structure report or historic landscape master plan.
• Hiring a preservation planner, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce design guidelines for a historic district.
• Hiring a real estate development consultant, or funding existing staff with expertise in this area, to produce an economic feasibility study for the reuse of a threatened structure.
• Sponsoring a community forum to develop a shared vision for the future of a historic neighborhood.
• Organizational capacity building activities such as hiring fundraising consultants, conducting board training, etc.

Education and Outreach: Support for preservation education activities aimed at the public. The National Trust is particularly interested in programs aimed at reaching new audiences. Funding will be provided to projects that employ innovative techniques and formats aimed at introducing new audiences to the preservation movement, whether that be through education programming or conference sessions.

About

The Preservation Leadership Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a network of preservation leaders — professionals, students, volunteers, activists, experts — who share the latest ideas, information, and advice, and have access to in-depth preservation resources and training.

Southwest Intervention Fund

Grants from the National Trust’s Southwest Intervention Fund are intended to further preservation efforts of the traditional cultures of the Southwest region, exclusively in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, West Texas (West Texas is defined as the area west of US Route 281 from the Oklahoma border to San Antonio proper and north of US Route 90 from San Antonio proper to Del Rio) and Utah. The Fund provides support for preservation planning efforts and enables prompt responses to emergency threats or opportunities in the eligible states. Local partners, nonprofit organizations and government agencies that have strategic opportunities to save sites or help jumpstart preservation projects are eligible for the fund’s small, catalytic grants. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $10,000.

The Fund can support assistance for a single prehistoric or historic place or actions affecting an entire state or part of a state, or several states, so long as all of the states are among the five designated states. Actions aimed at direct intervention to save historic and cultural sites and at capacity building are eligible.

The decision to pursue project funding through the Southwest Intervention Fund must be made in consultation with the National Trust grants office. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your project.  

What does this program do?

This program is designed to provide technical assistance and training for small rural businesses. Small means that the business has fewer than 50 new workers and less than $1 million in gross revenue.

What is an eligible area?

Rural Business Development Grant money must be used for projects that benefit rural areas or towns outside the urbanized periphery of any city with a population of 50,000 or more. Check eligible areas. 

What kind of funding is available?

There is no maximum grant amount; however, smaller requests are given higher priority. There is no cost sharing requirement. Opportunity grants are limited to up to 10 percent of the total Rural Business Development Grant annual funding.

How may funds be used?

Enterprise grants must be used on projects to benefit small and emerging businesses in rural areas as specified in the grant application. Uses may include:

• Training and technical assistance, such as project planning, business counseling and training, market research, feasibility studies, professional or/technical reports or producer service improvements.
• Acquisition or development of land, easements, or rights of way; construction, conversion, renovation of buildings; plants, machinery, equipment, access for streets and roads; parking areas and utilities.
• Pollution control and abatement.
• The capitalization of revolving loan funds, including funds that will make loans for start-ups and working capital.
• Distance adult learning for job training and advancement.
• Rural transportation improvement.
• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Opportunity grants can be used for:

• Community economic development.
• Technology-based economic development.
• Feasibility studies and business plans.
• Leadership and entrepreneur training.
• Rural business incubators.
• Long-term business strategic planning.

Supporting Historic Sacred Places

A program of Partners for Sacred Places in collaboration with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Fund for Sacred Places provides financial and technical support for community-serving historic houses of worship across America.

What We Offer

The National Fund for Sacred Places provides matching grants of $50,000 to $250,000 to congregations undertaking significant capital projects at historic houses of worship, along with wraparound services including training, technical assistance, and planning support.

What We’re Looking For

The National Fund for Sacred Places assesses applicant eligibility according to the core criteria shown below, while also striving to build a diverse participant pool that reflects a broad range of geographic, cultural, and religious identities.

Historic, Cultural, or Architectural Significance

We are looking for buildings that have historic, cultural, or architectural significance—and sites that have important and relevant stories to tell. Many of our participants are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the state register, or the local register. Your building does not have to be on one of these lists, but eligibility for one or more of these lists is a good benchmark for National Fund eligibility.

As part of the National Trust’s commitment to telling the full American story, we particularly encourage congregations to apply that illuminate a unique or overlooked aspect of American history and that expand our understanding of our shared national heritage. We encourage submissions related to historic sacred places of importance to historically and contemporaneously underrepresented communities including, but not limited to, women, immigrants, Asian Americans, Black Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and LGBTQIA communities.

Successful applicants are able to demonstrate their place in history by answering questions such as:

• Does the building tell a story relevant to our history—either cultural or religious?
• Does the history highlight previously underrecognized communities, stories, or locations?
• How has the building served the community over time? Does the building have a great physical presence in its community due to its location or programming?
• Is the building the work of a notable architect? If so, is it a high-quality example of their body of work?
• Is the building an exceptional example of its architectural style or building technology?
• Does the building embody the congregation’s resilience over time?

Community-Serving Congregations

We are looking for congregations that are engaged in their communities and that are serving others. Engaged congregations operate and host programming that serves vulnerable, at-risk, and diverse populations; share space with non-affiliated groups and organizations (often at subsidized rates); work with other congregations, faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and/or municipalities; and have a widespread reputation for being a welcoming center of community life.

Project Scope and Need

We fund historic preservation projects addressing urgent repair needs and/or life safety. We also fund projects that increase congregations’ ability to open their buildings to new populations or to serve greater numbers of people. All projects must adhere to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which is a universally accepted framework for doing work to older and historic properties.

We prioritize congregations/projects where there is a demonstrated need (meaning that the congregation cannot raise the funds alone) or where it is clear that our grant will have a catalytic effect (meaning that our grant is likely to lead to additional monies being contributed to the project).

Readiness

Once-in-a-generation capital projects require a great deal of planning. We are looking for applicants that understand their buildings’ needs and that are ready to undertake a capital campaign. National Fund congregations typically have a history of successful capital campaigns, which demonstrate an ability to raise significant funds and complete a project.

Successful congregations come to us with a realistic fundraising goal, which has been generated with the help of qualified preservation professionals and is not too far beyond the congregation’s fundraising capacity.

Healthy Congregations

The National Fund prioritizes healthy, stable congregations so that our investment is truly impactful and lasting. We look for the following, although this is not an exhaustive list of characteristics that indicate healthy congregations: tenured, well-respected clergy; capable lay leadership; stable or growing membership; financial strength and stability; support of the judicatory or governing body, if applicable; and a history of weathering any congregational conflict or trauma with resilience.

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation

Mission Statement

Bonfils-Stanton Foundation invests in inclusive, diverse, and equitable arts & culture and nonprofit leaders to create a thriving and just Denver.

Vision Statement

Denver is a diverse, vibrant community where arts and culture are essential, relevant and accessible to all, and nonprofit leaders have the tools and support they need to lead with vision, creativity, compassion and equity.

Equity-Focused Leadership Grants

The nonprofit sector has consistently struggled with a lack of diversity of staff – especially at the executive level. This persistent racial leadership gap negatively impacts the career trajectories and well-being of BIPOC professionals who face systemic barriers that prevent them, and others from historically marginalized communities, from pursuing pathways to executive leadership. To help address these disparities and build on our longstanding commitment to support leaders who affect change, Bonfils-Stanton Foundation seeks to support the pipeline of potential leaders through the Equity-Focused Leadership grants which provide up to $10,000 to six (6) organizations that support the leadership development of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and/or adults with disabilities aspiring to lead in the nonprofit sector. 

Process

Grant awards will be determined by a panel of BSF staff and community members who will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

• Development and use of innovative, culturally relevant methods to supporting leaders
• Degree and depth of community involvement in both identifying and addressing the issue(s)/need(s) of aspiring leaders
• Centering BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disability and/or other underrepresented communities and their lived experiences in program design and implementation
• Potential for the program to cultivate leaders who champion systems change
• Organizational commitment to fair wages/stipends for program staff/collaborators

Women's Development Grants Program

We are committed to investing in efforts that increase education and economic opportunities for citizens in our operating communities. In particular, we want to ensure that women have suitable, relevant, functional opportunities to be full participants in economic development and attain greater levels of prosperity. When women gain skills, they gain confidence, increase their productivity, mentor others, raise their income levels and reinvest in their children’s education, their family’s health, and economic activities at the community level.  

The Freeport-McMoRan Women’s Development Grants support organizations providing women and girls with opportunities to:

• Advance attainment, matriculation or graduation via college/career readiness and/or leadership/character development
• Create or expand businesses via small business development training and access to capital programs
• Increase financial capability and employment via education or workforce skills training